DE PERE – St. Norbert College got its 2026 men's volleyball season off to a good start with a 3-0 win over Maranatha Baptist University in a non-conference match at Mulva Family Fitness & Sports Center.
 
The Green Knights swept the Sabercats 25-6, 25-15, 25-8.
 
St. Norbert pulled away from a 2-2 tie in the opening set with a 12-1 run behind the service of Michael Whitney and Kaden Kornaus, the latter serving an 8-0 run. Jacob Van Ooyen (pictured) had four kills during the overall run. The Green Knights hit .577 in the opening set, with 16 kills against one error in 26 swings.
 
The Green Knights led 11-8 in Set 2 before going on an 8-2 run to get some breathing room, closing things out with a Barry Applewhite kill for a 2-0 lead. A 6-3 lead in Set 3 for St. Norbert eventually ruptured into a 17-5 edge, with the host finishing the win with an 8-3 run.
 
St. Norbert hit .429 for the match, with 38 kills against eight errors in 70 attempts. Twelve different Green Knights registered at least one kill. Van Ooyen had 10 kills in two sets, while Kaden Kornaus added six. Kade Nelson and Ryan Da Silva had four kills each. Michael Whitney had 23 assists, while Ethan Grassl added seven. Whitney and Wade La Blanc had two service aces each.
 
Ryan Conway had six digs, while Kornaus added five. Applewhite and La Blanc had two blocks each.
 
Maranatha hit minus-.145, with 11 kills against 21 errors in 69 attempts. Tyler Bellrichard led the Sabercats with four kills.